China leads the world in 5G
Homegrown 5G tech incomparable, ‘too powerful to reject’: expert
China is leading the world in 5G development through the formation of a 5G development ecosystem to which no other country will be able to compare, experts said Wednesday.
The comments came after China Telecom, a major telecom carrier in China, on Tuesday released the “China Telecom fifth-generation (5G) Technology White Paper.”
In the white paper, China Telecom explains its 5G “Three Clouds” network structure initiative and proposes mid- and long-term development strategies for a 5G wireless network, core networks, and bearer networks.
“A comprehensive 5G development ecosystem has gradually formed in China. Chinese telecom carriers are holding a leading place in the world. Telecom heavyweight Huawei Technologies Co also produces the most advanced 5G equipment, and in terms of 5G business development, domestic tech giants such as Baidu and Alibaba also play significant roles on a global scale,” Xiang Ligang, chief executive of telecom industry news site cctime. com, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
“China has an advantage in 5G development to which no country in the world could compare,” said Xiang, adding that China’s vast market would also be a huge advantage.
On Wednesday, China Unicom, another major domestic telecom carrier, announced it will sign a cooperation deal with Huawei for 5G strategic development. The two vowed to collectively promote the development of a 5G digital indoor distribution industry chain.
However, Xiang noted there might be some uncertainties in 5G development. For example, given the current unstable Sino-US relations, if the US decides not to sell chips to China, the development pace could be hindered.
Ma Jihua, an analyst with Beijing Daojing Consultant Co, told the Global Times that the US is now China’s biggest competitor on a global scale. Already lagging behind in 4G development, US companies like Qualcomm and Intel have been ramping up efforts in 5G development and chip R&D recently.
“While on the other side, the US cannot develop its 5G technology if it does not cooperate with China as well, since they are counting on China to provide 5G equipment for them that they almost don’t produce domestically,” Xiang added.
“Some countries may try to reject Huawei’s 5G equipment out of their doors due to baseless ‘national security’ concerns, but the thing is, Huawei’s technology is too powerful to reject, already surpassing its counterparts such as Ericsson and Nokia,” Xiang noted.